Buying the place in NC

I'm sending this message out to friends, family, and others.
If you can help, either by donating, or by spreading the word, it would be much appreciated.

"Since you have to be 18 to fund a project through Kickstarter, I'm going to try funding my own project through another grassroots method. Good-old word of mouth.My goal is to raise enough money so that I can purchase 11 acres of land in North Carolina, with a pond.I am trying to fundraise so that I can create an organic haven, where good, clean food grows everywhere. It's a large goal, but I have hope that enough people are willing to help me make a difference in the food system.Currently, the asking price is $179,000.I don't expect one person to give the entire amount, but I believe that this can be accomplished through many small gifts.Similar to Kickstarter, there would be rewards for each level of donation, such as a farm tour, organic produce, ceramic pieces, and other itemsIf you are interested in helping me in this endeavor, please email me at drouaultfarm@yahoo.com.(please feel free to distribute this message as you wish) "

Back in the "normal" routine.

I'm back to a "normal" routine, in which we are expected to eat food, and just think of it as food. We're not supposed to ponder the quality or its origins. We're just supposed to fill our plates.
I'm fed up with this. I like eating meals that I have prepared, and that I know all sources of the ingredients.
For example, while in North Carolina, I ate fried green tomatoes, which I had picked off the vine that afternoon.
Outside of farms, there's always a vast disconnect, and people don't think about what they are ingesting.
The only time that they ponder their food is when the add heaps of salt to the food, as a way to mask the blandness.
I urge everyone who can to try a farm-fresh egg.
You will discover what an egg is supposed to taste like. The color is different as well, a deeper yellow, if not orange.
If you have the opportunity, eat real, farm fresh food, while it's still available.
And going back to the main point of this blog, that's why I want to farm.
I want real, healthy food, in its purest form, to be available.

From idle chatter to reality.

I feel that this blog is moving in a great direction.
Roughly two years ago, this blog started as an expresion of just ideas, with no practical basis.
Now, after spending time working on farms, these aspirations seem to be coming to fruition, especially after finding the parcel of available land in North Carolina.
As peculiar as this may sound, I feel that I've found a path that I'm meant to be on, and I feel quite content.
After each hour of farm work, I feel even more joyous.
I've received some criticism lately, claiming that my area of focus isn't a "real cause."
I am deeply puzzled by this.
My goal is to help provide clean, healthy, organic food.
How is this a misdirected cause?
It's making a positive difference in the food system, which is definitely flawed, as we can see by the thousands of pounds of food recalled each month.

Another year.

It appears that another academic year begins in the morning.
Another year of purely theoretical learning, devoid of the practical.
I realize of course that theoretical learning is enough to be fulfilling for most people.
I, however, don't feel fulfilled just by "studying."
When WWOOFing in NC, i felt fulfilled, because I had done physical, tangible work. I could see the results of my work. The work wasn't in a document stored on a hard drive of a computer. The results manifested themselves in a pile of weeds. I could actually see and feel what I had accomplished. To me, that's learning, because I felt truly happy with what I had accomplished.
With typical collegiate learning, it's hard to reach the same sense of fulfillment, because there's really nothing to show for it, except a piece of paper, four years down the road.

Leaving North Carolina

My five day stint WWOOFing in North Carolina draws to a close tomorrow, when I will board a northbound plane. I have benefited greatly from my time here. I did a lot of fulfilling farm work, which I greatly enjoyed. In addition, I had some leisure time, which I spent fishing. This evening, I had an eighteen inch bass on my line, when it snapped, less then 6 inches out of my reach. 
In addition to the physical activities, we had great discussions about food and farming. 
Also, I found that amazing plot of land, and I'm currently in the process of talking with the owner, which is so exciting. 
It would truly be starting from scratch, as it's just land, with no buildings, and all the pastures ate overgrown. It would be a wonderful opportunity to start a farm. 
I greatly benefited from this time in NC, and I hope to return soon. 

Eureka. I have found it.

I feel that I have found a physical location for my aspirations and ideas. While wwoofing here in NC, I saw a "for sale" sign, just across the road. I took a brief look from the road. It looks like paradise. 
There's a pond, several wooded acres, and a fair bit of pasture. 
This area is so tranquil and serene. At night, the crickets are the biggest noisemakers.  The air is clean, the summer days are warm and the nights are cool. 
This 11 acre lot is where i'd like to turn my ideas and dreams into crops and food. I hope it's still available when I turn 18 in March
To quote James Taylor, "in my mind, I'm gone to Carolina."

Conscientious purchasing.

After camp, I'm going to be working on a farm in NC for a week. 
I'm greatly looking forward to doing farm work, and learning a lot. 
I just wish others would do the same. 
I know I've spoken at length about the lack of young farmers, but it's really irking me even more. 
I feel like I want to put signs up everywhere, asking people to care and to eat with a conscience. 
The mentality is always "someone else will grow it, all I must do is pick up a styrofoam wrapped package, and swipe my card."  
Most consumers buy without thinking. They look for key words on the labels. They don't seek out organic, they just look for the word "MILK."
Conscientious buying is only one part of the solution. 
In addition, as I've expressed, we need more farmers. In an article on the Huffington post, I read that, "for every one farmer and rancher under the age of 25, there are five who are 75 or older, according to Agriculture Department statistics." 
As these farmers continue to age, we need replacements. 
Oh well, as long as a gallon of chemically treated milk was available at the store, all is happy in American consumer land